AS/NZS 1301.

400s:1998

Australian/New Zealand Standard™

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Methods of test for pulp and paper

Method 400s: Tearing resistance

of paper
 AS/NZS 1301.400s:1998

This Joint Australian/New Zealand Standard was prepared by Joint Technical

Committee PK/19, Methods of Test for Pulp and Paper. It was approved on behalf
of the Council of Standards Australia on 10 July 1998 and on behalf of the Council
of Standards New Zealand on 17 July 1998. It was published on 5 September 1998.

The following interests are represented on Committee PK/19:

Appita Inc
AusInfo
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CSIRO Forestry & Forest Products

National Association of Forest Industries
Forest Research, New Zealand
New Zealand Pulp and Paper Industry Association
Printing Industries Association of Australia
Pulp and Paper Manufacturers Federation of Australia

Additional interests participating in preparation of Standard:

Paper manufacturers
Pulp manufacturers
Research interests
Manufacturers of paper testing instruments
Suppliers of paper testing instruments

Review of Standards. To keep abreast of progress in industry, Joint Australian/

New Zealand Standards are subject to periodic review and are kept up to date by the
issue of amendments or new editions as necessary. It is important therefore that
Standards users ensure that they are in possession of the latest edition, and any
amendments thereto.
Full details of all Joint Standards and related publications will be found in the Standards
Australia and Standards New Zealand Catalogue of Publications; this information is
supplemented each month by the magazines ‘The Australian Standard’ and ‘Standards
New Zealand’, which subscribing members receive, and which give details of new
publications, new editions and amendments, and of withdrawn Standards.
Suggestions for improvements to Joint Standards, addressed to the head office of either
Standards Australia or Standards New Zealand, are welcomed. Notification of any
inaccuracy or ambiguity found in a Joint Australian/New Zealand Standard should be
made without delay in order that the matter may be investigated and appropriate action
taken.

This Standard was issued in draft form for comment as DR 97138.

 AS/NZS 1301.400s:1998
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Australian/New Zealand Standard™

Methods of test for pulp and paper

Method 400s: Tearing resistance

of paper

Originated in Australia as AS P1.P400m — 1962.

Final Australian edition AS 1301.400s — 1991.
Originated in New Zealand as Appita P400s:1955.
Final New Zealand edition NZS/AS 1301.400s:1991.
Jointly revised and designated AS/NZS 1301.400s:1998.

Published jointly by:

Standards Australia
1 The Crescent,
Homebush NSW 2140 Australia

Standards New Zealand

Level 10, Radio New Zealand House,
155 The Terrace,
Wellington 6001 New Zealand
ISBN 0 7337 2179 6
 AS/NZS 1301.400s:1998

Contents
Page

1 Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2 Normative references . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
3 Principle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
4 Apparatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
5 Preparation of test pieces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
6 Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
7 Calculation ................................................. 5
8 Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
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9 Test accuracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Annexes
A Adjustment and maintenance of the tear tester . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
B Calibration of the potential energy tear tester . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
C Kinetic energy tear testers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
D Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

© Copyright STANDARDS AUSTRALIA / STANDARDS NEW ZEALAND

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ii
 AS/NZS 1301.400s:1998

Foreword
This standard was prepared by Joint Technical Committee PK/19, Methods of Test for Pulp
and Paper, as a part of AS/NZS 1301, Methods of test for pulp and paper.

This edition cancels and replaces (in Australia) AS 1301.400s — 1991 and (in New Zealand)
NZS/AS 1301.400s:1991, Method of test for pulp and paper, Method 400s: Internal tearing
resistance of paper.

In this revision changes have been made to accommodate developments in tear testers and
the title of the standard has been changed to ‘Tearing resistance of paper’.

Annexes A, B and C form integral parts of this standard. Annex D is for information only.
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iii
 AS/NZS 1301.400s:1998

Introduction
This standard method, for the tearing resistance of paper and certain classes of paperboard,
involves measuring the work done when a test piece of paper is torn through a specified
distance. The work is done partly in rupturing the paper along the line of the tear and partly
in lifting and bending the paper as it is being torn. The total work done is used, along with
the length of the tear and the number of sheets torn together in the test, to calculate a single
force which, for the purpose of this standard, is described as the mean force required to
continue the tearing of a single sheet of paper. This force is by definition the tearing
resistance of the paper and is expressed in millinewtons (mN). This standard provides for the
measurement of tearing resistance within the range 0 to 7500 mN.

The tear index, expressed in mN.m 2/g, of the paper is the tearing resistance divided by the
conditioned grammage.
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This standard conforms to ISO 1974:1990, except that the ISO standard requires the
pendulum friction to be such that 35 complete oscillations of the pendulum occur before the
arc of the swing is reduced by 25 mm. Not all modern tear testers, particularly those with
pneumatic clamping devices can comply with this requirement in the ISO standard. This
standard requires that the number of complete oscillations be at least 15 and within 25% of
the number of oscillations measured at the time the pendulum was last calibrated. The
pendulum friction requirements for the manually clamped Elmendorf tear testers are
unchanged.

Other similar standards are SCAN P 11:96, TAPPI T414om-88 and CPPA D.9 (1993). TAPPI
T414om-88 and CPPA D.9 (1993) prescribe a slightly larger test piece but the torn length is
the same as in this standard. The TAPPI standard requires the number of sheets torn together
to be varied according to the tearing resistance of the sample in order to give a reading near
to 40% of full scale using a pendulum similar to the B-pendulum of this standard. Also
TAPPI T414om-88 requires the clamp depths to be 15.9 ±0.1 mm and the test piece
dimension in the direction of tear to be 63.00 ±0.15 mm.

iv
 AS/NZS 1301.400s:1998

Tearing resistance of paper

1 Scope

This standard prescribes the procedure to be used to determine the tearing resistance of paper
and certain classes of paperboard.

2 Normative references

The following standards contain provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute
provisions of AS/NZS 1301.400s. At the time of publication, the editions indicated were
valid. All standards are subject to revisions, and parties to agreements based on
AS/NZS 1301.400s are encouraged to investigate the possibility of applying the most recent
editions of the standards indicated below.
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AS 1301.P414m — 1986, Conditioning of paper for testing

AS 1301.P415m — 1986, Standard atmosphere for paper testing

3 Principle

A test piece of four superimposed sheets, with a specified pre-cut slit, is torn through a fixed
distance using a pendulum which applies the tearing force by moving in a plane perpendicular
to the initial plane of the test piece. The work done in tearing the test piece is measured by
determining the loss in energy of the pendulum due to the tearing of the test piece. The
average tearing force (work done divided by the total distance torn) is indicated by a scale
on the pendulum or a digital display. The tearing resistance of the paper is determined from
the average tearing force and the number of sheets comprising the test piece.

NOTE 1 — By definition, tearing resistance is the mean force required to continue the tearing of a
single sheet of paper. The test procedure prescribed in this standard measures the work done in tearing
four sheets together through a specified distance. The force required to achieve this is calculated by
dividing the work done by the total distance over which the force is applied (i.e. four times the
distance torn on each single sheet). Because this standard specifies the number of sheets to be torn,
the distance of application of the force is constant and it is possible to calibrate the pendulum scale
or transducer directly in units of force (mN).

Some other standards permit or require other than four sheets to be torn simultaneously. Tear testers
designed to meet such standards are not usually calibrated to give a direct reading of force and in such
cases the reading has to be multiplied by a factor (calculated from the number of sheets actually torn
simultaneously and from the scale units used) to give tearing resistance in mN. Results obtained by
tearing other than four sheets simultaneously may be different because the work done increases
disproportionally with increasing number of sheets [1].

4 Apparatus

4.1 An approved tear tester, consisting of a frame, mounted on a rigid base, carrying a
pendulum which is free to swing about a horizontal axis on bearings of very low frictional
resistance. The test piece is held by two clamps, one of which is attached to the frame and
the other to the pendulum. The clamping surfaces are at least 25 mm wide and 15 ±1 mm
deep. Traditionally, the work done in tearing a test piece is determined from the change in
maximum potential energy, i.e. the difference in the maximum potential energy of the
pendulum after a free pendulum swing, and the maximum potential energy after a test piece
is torn. In some tear testers the work done is determined from the change in kinetic energy

COPYRIGHT 1
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AS/NZS 1301.400s:1998, Methods of test for pulp

and paper Tearing resistance of paper
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